THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 15/17 Smith College 85, MIT 66
 
- Records: MIT (19-8); No. 15/17 Smith (24-3)
 
- Location: Northampton, Mass. (Ainsworth Gymnasium)
 
- The Lead: A 19-5 run that spanned five minutes in the third quarter helped No. 15/17 Smith College pull away for an 85-66 victory over MIT in the semifinals of the NEWMAC Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday night. Junior Elise Harvey (Wayland, Mass.) paced the Engineers with 17 points to go along with five rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- MIT gradually built a 17-9 lead after back-to-back jumpers by junior Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) with just over three minutes left in the first quarter. During Smith's ensuing possession, a put-back kicked off a string of seven unanswered points. The Engineers replied with a jumper by junior Angie Choi (Cypress, Calif.) right before the buzzer, giving the visitors a 19-16 cushion.
 
- The Pioneers opened the second stanza with a pair of layups to go in front. Three more lead changes would occur as a three pointer by graduate student Christina Antonakakis (Holmdel, N.J.) gave MIT a 24-23 edge at the 8:10 mark. Smith responded with a 14-4 run, however, the Engineers generated six straight points during the final 2:20 to enter halftime trailing 37-34. Sophomore Alice Hall (Ambler, Pa) drained a free throw while Harvey followed with a trey and a jumper with four seconds on the clock.
 
- The Pioneers controlled the action in the third quarter as their pivotal 19-5 run increased their advantage to 56-39 with 2:49 remaining. Down the stretch, MIT put together a 7-2 spurt which featured five points from first-year April Chan (Fremont, Calif.), including a three-pointer with two seconds to go.
 
- Smith opened the fourth quarter with an 18-4 run that put the game out of reach.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Choi finished with 13 points, three steals, and three assists while Antonakakis added 13 points. Nwogu ended the night with 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.
 
- Both teams posted 30 rebounds and 18 points off turnovers as MIT had a 10-7 edge in second-chance points. Smith led the way in bench scoring (18-7), fastbreak points (11-6), and points in the paint (40-26).
 
- Smith is currently ranked No. 15 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.